A popular Chinese saying goes: “A real man is flexible enough to be able to bend and stretch.” Flexibility is needed so people might bend to preserve and maintain peace of mind through the most difficult times. Su Dongpo (1036-1101) was a renowned man of letters during the Northern Song Dynasty. His life was full of frustrations. He emerged the 2nd in the imperial examinations among 338 scholars who passed the examination at the age of 20 and became a scholar of national fame. Reputed as a rare talent, he first enjoyed smooth sailing in officialdom. However, he later offended the prime minister, and was forced to leave the capital after being relieved of his official post. In the ensuing eight or nine years, Su Dongpo devoted all his energies to literary creativity, reaching the crest of his literary career. He was imprisoned for criticizing the ills of the time through his poetry. After his release, he moved to the countryside where he led a life of farming, tilling the land and growing flowers. He was repeatedly demoted and banished from the capital, but he never lost his heart. A friend asked him how he was able to maintain his positive attitude; he said his secret lay in the fact that he regarded holding no office as a noble life, going to bed early as good fortune, walking as a carriage ride, and late means as meat.